Some industries measure success in margins and market share. Others measure it in something far more unforgiving, saving precious human lives. In the world of industrial safety, the distance between a routine workday and irreversible loss can be as thin as a poorly stitched harness. It is within this fragile margin that I SSAFE Safety Products was born, not as a brand chasing compliance, but as a conviction that safety must never be negotiable. The brand was built on a 36+ year old legacy, strengthened by modern leadership, and driven by deep human purpose. Today, I SSAFE is redefining how India as well as the world thinks about worker safety.
At the heart of this movement stands Ashish K. Mittal, a rare multifaceted force: a secondgeneration entrepreneur, a visionary safety evangelist, and an author of two books that reflect his thinking beyond business, into systems, responsibility, and human impact. His engagement with workplace safety goes far beyond manufacturing or compliance; it reflects his instinct to document, decode, and redefine evolving work cultures.
Through his upcoming books on safety footwear, he turns attention to an often-overlooked yet critical aspect of industrial life, tracing how safety shoes have evolved from rigid, purely utilitarian gear into thoughtfully designed, Gen Z aligned essentials that balance protection, comfort, and personal expression. For Mittal, this evolution mirrors a larger shift in today’s workforce, where safety must integrate seamlessly into lifestyle, identity, and long working hours.
Ashish is not merely building products but shaping a philosophy where every life matters, irrespective of financial status. In a sector long dominated by cost-cutting and compliance optics, his approach is nothing short of radical and we truly appreciate his journey as well as impact on the ground level.
This cover story is drawn from an exclusive conversation with Ashish K. Mittal, and traces the extraordinary journey of a brand that chose compassion over convenience, and purpose over profit, without ever compromising on performance.
A Legacy That Refused to Stay Ordinary
The story of I SSAFE begins decades before its name existed. It began in 1989, with Tulip Elastics Pvt. Ltd., founded by Ashish’s father, Sh. Krishan k Mittal, a dynamic leader with no formal training, just with six machines, and an unshakeable belief in ethics, craftsmanship, and hard work. Over 36+ years, that modest operation grew into a globally respected narrow woven textile manufacturer, producing billions of meters of elastics and tapes that quietly powered industries far and wide. When it was time for Ashish to join his father in the family business, he saw something more than scale. He saw potential to transform threads into lifelines. He wanted to save lives and that insight became the seed of I SSAFE’s remarkable journey.
What was once a textile legacy evolved into a lifesaving mission, shifting safety equipment from dusty compliance documents to a living culture of comfort, confidence, and dignity for workers who are too often invisible.
When Personal Encounters Became a Calling
We all know that every purposeful venture has a moment of reckoning. For Ashish, it came in 2023.
He shared that he witnessed two incidents that changed the way he views life. One involving Jeeva, a demolition worker, and another Vikram, a window cleaner. Both had relied on cheap, unbranded safety harnesses for which both the workers paid a devastating price which shook Ashish to the core. The helplessness, the pain, and the silence that followed after knowing their family condition and crisis struck Ashish deeply. When he shared these stories with his father, the response was simple and profound:
“If you can make a difference, you must. This is your calling.” Within months, prototypes were built to resonate with his vision to build an efficient personal protective equipment brand. Tests were run where industry standards were questioned. And I SSAFE was born, not as a business opportunity, but as a responsibility to make a difference to thousands of people who are overlooked due to their financial status.
From Compliance to Compassion
The key distinguishing factor for the brand is its brand philosophy. Unlike most PPE brands built around regulations, I SSAFE was built around people. Its founding belief which is crystal clear: “Every worker who steps onto a site deserves to return home safely.”
This empathy-first mindset permeates everything, from design and R&D to pricing and customization. Today, I SSAFE proudly serves 1,575 clients across 10+ countries, offering OEM customization with zero minimum order quantity, a rarity in the global safety industry. Its promise is bold and lived every day: “Make world-class safety accessible to every worker, every brand, everywhere.”
Products Engineered In-House
I SSAFE manufactures a comprehensive range of fall-protection and PPE solutions, entirely in-house, right from weaving the webbing to final assembly. This vertical integration ensures total control over strength, quality, and traceability.
Its portfolio includes:
- ANSI, CE, and ISI-certified full-body harnesses and PPE
- Lanyards and twin lanyards with energy absorbers
- Horizontal and Vertical lifelines and Anchorage systems
- Retractable blocks, tripods and winches
- Fire blankets, welding blankets, arc clothing, heatresistant fire suits, and Safety Shoes with gloves, masks and ear plugs
As Ashish explains, “When someone’s life depends on your product, outsourcing accountability is not an option.”
Fire Safety and Footwear
I SSAFE’s upcoming fire-safety apparel line blends para-aramid, meta-aramid, and siliconcoated fiberglass, capable of withstanding temperatures beyond 1,000°C, while still allowing breathability and movement. EN 469, NFPA, and ISO certifications are already underway. Equally disruptive is the brand’s foray into comfort designer safety shoes, a category long ignored in terms of ergonomics and aesthetics. Here, safety meets dignity, and style meets substance. Drawing on years of R&D, these shoes feature:
- Shock absorption and impact resistance
- Anti-slip and anti-static technology
- Heat resistance and breathable materials
- Elegant design for long-hour wear
- Wider width foot solution
R&D: The Heartbeat of I SSAFE
For Ashish, innovation is not speed, it is mindfulness of making a product. The company maintains a strict policy of never compromising on R&D investment, because every improvement could protect someone’s loved one. The keen focus areas include:
- Energy absorbers maintaining impact force below 4.5 kN
- Webbing endurance against UV, acid, and fatigue (>25 kN tensile strength)
- Ergonomic mapping of 700+ body profiles
- Fire fabrics tested beyond 1,000°C
- Lightweight, shock-absorbent safety footwear
Dynamic load testing, UV-aging simulations, tensile tests, and real-world field evaluations form the backbone of every product released.
Marketing with a Heart, Not Just a Logo
At I SSAFE, marketing is guided by four pillars: Safety, Comfort, Integrity, and Empathy .
What I SSAFE truly stand for:
I – INTEGRITY
S – SAFETY FIRST
S – SERVICE ELEGANCE
A – ACCOUNTABILITY
F – FORESIGHT
E – EMPATHY
Campaigns don’t begin with products, they begin with real worker problems. Digital platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google Ads are used to showcase real visuals, certifications, and genuine testimonials, building trust instead of hype.
Zero-MOQ OEM Culture: Redefining Partnerships
Born from Ashish’s own early struggles as a buyer, I SSAFE eliminated the industry’s most exclusionary question: “What is your MOQ?”
Instead, they ask:
“What do you need, and how can we protect your people?” This philosophy has fostered deep, long-term client relationships and positioned I SSAFE as a partner, not just a supplier.
Five-Year Vision for the coming times
I SSAFE’s future is shaped around five pillars as per the leader:
1. Global Expansion – Regional hubs in Dubai, Europe, and the USA
2. New Categories & Certifications – Arc suits, heatproof gloves, shoes, IoT-enabled smart harnesses
3. Safety Academy – Free multilingual training for workers and safety officers
4. Digital Transformation – AI-driven QC, ERP integration, live dashboards
5. Sustainability – Recycling waste webbing, green manufacturing, awareness programs
Ashish envisions I SSAFE among the world’s top safety brands, recognized equally for innovation and compassion.
The proud accomplishments
As per Ashish, the journey has been fascinating so far as he shared a few key milestones they crossed and proud achievements too:
- 36+ years of manufacturing excellence
- 1.40 billion meters of elastics produced
- Presence in 10+ countries and 23 Indian states
- 1,575 clients served
- 10+ international certifications (OEKO-TEX®, GRS, Sedex)
- 19+ international nominations
- Two authored books and two technical publications
- CE, ANSI,ISI -certified product lines launching in 2025
Parting Word from the founder
“Success is not about how high you climb, but how safely you help others rise with you,” says Ashish before signing off from the conversation. He added that I SSAFE is not just a company but a movement. One that believes India can become the PPE capital of the world, provided its businesses unite craftsmanship with compliance, engineering with empathy, and ambition with responsibility.
